Aquarium safe clay?

[babysteps]

I want to start making my own caves for my plecs and cories, but I would rather not make them from slate (NOT good with power tools! :headshake2: lol).
Is there any sort of clay or other moulding agent that is aquarium safe?
Also, is there an aquarium safe paint? I will probably want to paint them after they are made (if I can't find a certain color of clay).

 

[BettaFishMommy]

i do know that home made fertilizer root tabs/balls are made with an amount of clay in them and they do not harm fish. i don't know if it is a certain type of clay or not. so i think clay would be just fine to make caves out of if you found out if it's only a certain kind of clay you can use or not. might need to find a kiln of sorts to fire it after you form it though.

why not use terracotta pots and break them in half to form a low cave? you could always silicone gravel or plants, etc to the pots if you wanted to hide the rusty orangeness of them.

 

[Riiz]

i do know that home made fertilizer root tabs/balls are made with an amount of clay in them and they do not harm fish. i don't know if it is a certain type of clay or not. so i think clay would be just fine to make caves out of if you found out if it's only a certain kind of clay you can use or not. might need to find a kiln of sorts to fire it after you form it though.

why not use terracotta pots and break them in half to form a low cave? you could always silicone gravel or plants, etc to the pots if you wanted to hide the rusty orangeness of them.

That clay that is used in making DIY fertilizer is not for making structures, the clay has to be put into the soil rather quickly or it disintegrates, but by being placed under the gravel, the nutrients are not leeched up into the aquarium.

Anything constructed with Clay, would have to fired and glazed to stay together after being submerged in water.

 

[Carla G]

You could make things for the aquarium out of clay. For a natural look, use terracotta earthenware. You can also purchase underglazes in various colours to decorate with. All these are available at a potters supplies store. Check with the people in the store that any underglazes you buy do not contain anything toxic, like cobalt. Most of them would be OK.

When making something, ensure that it has a uniform thickness all over, so it doesn't crack in the kiln. Ensure pieces are roughed up and wet before being stuck together. Work your clay well like kneading dough before you do anything with it. Work out any bubbles. Bubbles can cause your piece to explode in the kiln. When your piece is semi dry, smooth out any rough bits, and paint on the underglazes. Even the tiniest bit of clay innocently stuck on your piece can turn lethal when its fired and is hard and sharp. When your piece is bone dry, take it to somewhere that fires pottery and have them fire it for you. You must tell them the exact firing range of the clay you used, which will be written on the bag. You do not need to glaze a decoration for the aqarium, actually it would be better if you don't, so it has a slightly pourous surface for bacteria to colonize.

 

[BettaFishMommy]

excellent advice Carla!

 

[TwoTankAmin]

Or you could contact Evan Rosenthal at http://www.rosenthalpottery.com/cavecatalog.html and see if he would help you
or try Brantley at http://plecocaves.com/

I have caves from both of these suppliers and they know what they are doing.

 

[babysteps]

Thanks everyone. I think I might just check out the links that twotankamin sent and maybe buy a few instead of making them. Much easier and my plecs and cories will be safer in something that someone who knows what they are doing made! lol

 

[Wycco]

May not matter to you any more if you're buying... but in case anyone else is curious or googled upon this thread this is what I found when looking:

Clay can be used- plain clay- you probably wouldn't want to glaze it but you would need it fired in a kiln.

There is also something called polymer clay (sculptey is the most famous one) that you can get from craft stores. Looks and acts a little bit like regular clay- it's actually closer related to PVC- it fires at low over temperatures and comes in all sorts of colours.

Some people are scared off by the fact that it says "not safe for food" on it. Reason is not due to any toxins- but because it is porous so could harbour bacteria if used for food.

The only really bad thing about it is it contains plasticisers- so you have to make sure you follow directions and cure it properly. If fired properly in the oven it should be perfectly safe for the aquarium- many people have used it for years.



The one thing you may have caution with is Plecs- one lady on here suggested plecs might be able to graze on the clay itself whilst feeding on the biofilm... it is unknown how this would effect the fish if consumed.

I'd say any other fish with a less powerfull mouth you're safe.

 

[Arakkis]

Epoxy putty that's used for coral frags would work also. Though the terra cotta clay would be easier. Otherwise... umm an acrylic epoxy mided with sand would make something kinda neat too. I'd avoid concrete since it'll make pH and GH changes to the water. Maybe drilling holes in some driftwood? And lastly Bentonite clay used for pond liners is somewhat waterproof but messy.. and will disinigrate..

I'm running out of other ideas...

 

[jm1212]

i think it would be a good idea to get a terra cotta pot and break it a bit, and then get some java moss or something else to grow all over it. could be an interesting project.

otherwise, any old ceramic fixture will work, as long as it is fired but isnt glazed.